


the descent

by overplays



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 12:10:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13834011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overplays/pseuds/overplays
Summary: it's a slow process, creeping upon him in intervals.





	the descent

**Author's Note:**

> whipped up in celebration of the end of knk and the beginning of the dantes event for fun. is this my catalyst for summoning dantes? maybe.
> 
> also: i do not know shiki outside of her appearance in the knk collab event as i have yet to watch the movies, so if she sounds off, my apologies to fans out there. if i got the details of her mystic eyes wrong as well then uh, she's a lot scarier than i already considered her. and that's kinda hot.
> 
> anyway, enjoy.

After the Irregular Singularity, everything seems... off. It's a subtle thing, something Ritsuka can't define, to his frustration, but palpable nonetheless. When he's busy it's easy to ignore; caught up in helping Shiki settle in and attending to the everyday affairs of his Servants, Ritsuka doesn't properly notice the issue until almost three weeks have passed. But once he notices it seems to press in on him.

No one else seems to feel it. No one else has acted strange or complained of feeling different since the apartments; aside from Elizabeth's outburst of destructive gratitude in Da Vinci's workshop, none of the afflicted Servants seem aware of their appearance in the singularity at all. Which is honestly a small mercy.

Still it lingers, gnawing at the back of his mind.

It pricks at his senses as he's walking down the hall with Mash, slowing his steps to a stop. Dread crawls up his spine, slow but constant, higher and higher. With a settling chill and paranoia ringing alarms in his mind, Ritsuka casts his eyes around him, searching for the cause. He finds it at his feet.

His shadow is moving.

Ritsuka watches, in a stupefied daze, as it raises its arm. It disappears into its body, undefined from the rest of the shadow, obscuring its intentions. Ritsuka stares, and stares, trying to comprehend what's happening - 

"Senpai?"

His head whips around. Mash is staring at him, mouth curled in a frown of concern. Even Fou seems to be eyeing him with unusual interest from her shoulder.

"Senpai, what's wrong? You're so pale. Should we go see the Doctor?"

He turns to look at his shadow again. There's nothing out of the ordinary. It moves with him, mimicking his actions, its independence gone. If it was ever there at all.

A sudden chill bolts through his body, making him shudder.

"Ah... no, that's okay. I think I just need some more sleep." He offers Mash a smile. He doesn't need to see the deepening concern to know it doesn't hold up. "I think I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if something important happens, okay?"

"Of course." He can see her hands wringing, waits until she finds her voice again. "Um, Senpai... May I... escort you to your room?"

His smile feels more genuine, this time around.

"Of course, Mash. Thank you."

*

Throughout the week, Ritsuka finds his shadow confirming his fears. He'll catch it moving on its own, always out of the corner of his eyes: a crossing of the arms when Ritsuka's are loose at his sides, a tapping of the foot when Ritsuka's are still, a shake of the shoulders when Ritsuka has no cause to laugh. He sees Doctor Roman two times before accepting that he's not developing a fever. He starts sleeping with the lights on, worried what might happen when he sleeps in the dark.

He's catching up with Shiki when an idea pops into his head, and his mouth runs away with the words before he can think twice.

"Could you kill my shadow?"

Shiki's eyes narrow at him, teeth clicking against her spoon when she speaks. "Are you messing with me?"

He throws up his hands in genuine apprehension. "It's an honest question, I swear!"

The suspicion in her eyes says she doesn't believe him, but she sighs and tilts her body to peer at his shadow lying across the floor. Between one heartbeat and the next, nothing longer than a blink, her eyes have gained the prismatic coloring he's come to know so well. The atmosphere grows heavy, making Ritsuka shiver. Shiki stares at his shadow for a long second, scrutinizing, and when she blinks again, her eyes are plain blue once more.

"No," she declares, with a note of grumpiness to her voice, "of course I can't. I can only kill what I perceive as alive, remember? It's only an extension of you, so it doesn't work. Why did you ask?"

"No reason," Ritsuka lies, and gives a sheepish grin in the face of Shiki's clear annoyance. He gets up from the bed, ready to leave her in peace. "Sorry for bothering you with something like this."

"Hey."

Ritsuka, hand on the doorknob, turns back. Shiki bends down to open the mini fridge by her bedside, and a casual underhanded toss in his direction leaves Ritsuka to catch a small tub of strawberry ice cream. Shiki's taking her position back against the wall when he looks up, digging her spoon back into her own share of ice cream.

"I have plenty, so take that before you go."

Her expression remains neutral, but the intent focus of her gaze says something more. Ritsuka smiles.

"I'll enjoy it right away. Thanks, Shiki."

She waves him off, and Ritsuka opens the door, stepping back into the hall.

*

Ritsuka awakens one night to a darkened room. He blinks bleary eyes at the ceiling, rubbing them in confusion, trying to puzzle out the reason for his awakening while sleep continues to fog his senses. A shroud that dulls his mind, it prevents him from realizing what's wrong until it's far too late.

Panic blares bright in his mind and Ritsuka's heart pounds, eyes darting to the light switch. It's still set to the on position. The lights above his head are in perfect condition, and terror grips his chest, crushing it in its claws. The air in his room grows heavy, making each breath a struggle.

Someone laughs. Ritsuka, with growing horror, finds his gaze drifting to one of the corners of his room.

There's a figure standing there, made of shadow darker than all the rest, a void in the shape of a person. Its very essence seethes. It has no eyes but Ritsuka can feel its gaze resting on him, holding him in place, like pins through the body of a butterfly. It grins at him, its teeth a brilliant white and razor sharp, its mouth stretching, and stretching, and - 

Sweat stings Ritsuka's eyes and forces him to blink. It leaves him defenseless against the sudden onslaught of light. When his vision recovers, the figure is gone.

He doesn't sleep for the rest of the night.

*

Ritsuka is experiencing double vision.

He blinks, and in his left eye he sees rotting stone and iron bars, while his right sees the hall of Chaldea. He blinks, and in his left eye he sees a jail cell, while his right sees his room. He blinks, and his left eye sees infinite darkness, while his right eye sees light and life. He keeps bumping into Servants caught in his blind spot. Mash and Doctor Roman keep asking about his health.

Ritsuka doesn't know what to say, and before he knows it, he blinks, and both eyes see damp stone and darkness, and despair rings in his ears.


End file.
